Hell
by roo17
Summary: Ace answered the phone. "What would you do to save your brother?" Ace glanced at his gun then at a picture of Luffy."I'd sell my soul and kill anyone who got in my way of saving him." The voice grinned. "Good." AceLu, AU.
1. Chapter 1: Brothers

Hell  
>Chapter One: Brothers<p>

_xxx_

_Ace sat at the wooden kitchen table. The ticking of clock was the only sound that could be heard. Outside, the rain continued to pour down continually. He stared at the wall, currently ignoring the gun in front of him. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. He glanced at the clock, reading it's hands at 4:36. He stared back out the kitchen window at the gray outside. FInally, the phone rings and Ace answers it. "What would you do to save your brother?" He glances at the gun at the table, then at a picture of Luffy on the wall._

_"I'd sell my soul and kill anyone who got in my way of saving him." The voice seemed to grin._

_"Good."_

_xxx_

_Three Days Earlier  
><em>_7:41am_

"Oi, Ace! Are you coming or what?" Luffy called from across the street, waving his hands widely. "We're gonna be late if you don't hurry!" One hand gripped his strap while the other continued to wave erratically.

"Alright, alright, calm down already. Keep waving like that and your arm will fall off," Ace mumbled as he caught up with his brother. Luffy laughed and walked alongside him.

"Ne, Ace? Do you think we'll be able to stay here?" Ace glanced at Luffy.

"You mean, forever?" Luffy nodded and Ace stared forward again. "I dunno, Lu. Hopefully. Whitebeard is a nice boss and all the traveling he makes me do isn't too far. The farthest he's had to send me was five hundred miles. So as long as it doesn't go past that, I think we should be able to stay. He pays well and our rent is cheap for once. So, yeah. I think we will." Luffy grinned and turned to the sky.

"Good, because I've finally found some real good friends. Friends I'd like to grow up with." Ace felt himself sadden at that, seeing as they haven't really been able to stay in one place for more than a year and a half. But it's been three years since they moved here and Luffy had gotten attached quickly to the place, not to mention the people too. And even here, Ace found himself actually making friends too, though they were only coworkers, he could see them as being good friends. His hand absentmindedly traveled and touched his arm where his tattoo was. _'Sabo…'_ Luffy noticed the gesture and gave a small sigh before grinning again and poking Ace in the arm. "You're it!" And then he took off running. Ace stood there and blinked before his mind came together and he bolted off towards his brother.

"Oi, come back here!" Luffy turned around and stuck his tongue out before being punched in the arm. "Now you're it."

"Oi, you don't have to punch so hard!" Luffy grabbed his arm and chased his brother. "Baka Ace doesn't know how to be gentle." Hearing the mumble, Ace stopped in his tracks and turned to Luffy.

"I can't be gentle, eh?" Luffy shook his head and slightly pouted. "Well then, tell me…" He tilted Luffy's chin up, leaned down, and softly kissed his lips before slowly pulling back. "Was that gentle?"

"No." Luffy deadpanned and Ace hit him on the head. "Itai!"

"Was _that_ soft?" Ace grumbled before stomping off with a wounded Luffy not far behind. "So you have any tests today?"

"Hai. I got a science test. And I'm gonna pass it with flying colors!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air and Ace grinned.

"You better, or Garp might have something to say about it." Luffy shivered at the thought before changing the subject.

"So you working late tonight?"

"Yeah, probably. You gonna stay with your friends till I pick you up?" Luffy gave a nod. For the rest of the way, they walked in silence. He didn't like it when Ace had to work late, it meant he would he get home until midnight. After a few minutes of silence, they reached the university they both were enrolled in. Now on school campus, Ace buttoned up his shirt and shouldered his bag. "Alright, guess I'll see ya at midnight."

"Yeah… See ya, Ace."

"See ya." And they both went their separate ways. Luffy was one of the youngest students there, only being 17 at the moment. Due to his persistent fights at his high school, Ace recommended that he just take the GED test and enroll in college early. And after two hard months of _nothing_ but studying, he took the test and passed, making Garp a very happy grandpa.

"You're both gonna be fine marines one day!" He said, but Ace and Luffy rolled their eyes. Hell, screw becoming a marine, Ace wanted to stay working with Whitebeard! Sure he a sort of delivery boy, carpenter, and a few other things, but Pop's- that's what all his employees call him- made it a fun and worthwhile job. While Luffy, well, he wasn't exactly quite sure what he wanted to be yet. Ace heard a few ideas, like maybe an architect, or maybe even a stuntman. As Luffy entered a classroom, his eyes landed on five of eight of his friends. There was Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Franky. He had only met them a few months ago, but already they were tight as siblings.

Zoro was studying swordsmanship to become one of the best swordsmen in the world. Nami was studying navigation and cartography in hopes to one day map and sail the entire world. Usopp wanted to become a brave sailor and marksman like his father Yasopp was and maybe to even see him again one day. Sanji's dream was to open up a restaurant better than his foster dad's, the Baratie. Chopper, who was enrolled at the university at the early age of 16, was studying to become a doctor who could cure any disease in the world one day. Robin was the genius of the group, becoming an archeologist at the age of 8. After traveling around the world for 20 years, she finally decided to settle down and enroll in college again. Franky was a shipwright and was often missing from school due to job offerings almost every week. If a ship needed fixing, everyone knew to call Franky. And finally there was Brook, a university teacher who was teaching band/orchestra. Although he was 50 years old, he still looked the good and healthy age of 32.

Luffy ran over and sat with his friends, throwing his backpack onto his desk. "Oi, Zoro, you think I can stay at your house tonight?" Zoro shook his head.

"Sorry, but I'm not gonna be home tonight. I got a tournament to go to." He looked over at Usopp, who also shook his head.

"Sorry, but I'm going out to see Kaya after school ends."

"I got a meeting with Zeff tonight, so I'm afraid you won't be able to stay at my place either."

"I got another super job offering at one o'clock, so I'm leaving school early. Sorry…"

"I've got a presentation to attend to on the other side of town. I won't be back until monday. I'm sorry, Luffy-san." Luffy gave a sigh and deflated onto his desk. "Maybe Nami, Brook or Chopper will let you stay with them?"

"Nami said I can't come over on weekends, Brook's always busy visiting his friend Laboon, and Chopper study's like crazy and stays with his crazy adopted mother. Plus, Shanks is still out of town, along with Makino and Dadan. Garp is just out of the question. I'll just stay at the school until Ace picks me up." Suddenly, the substitute science came out.

"Howdy class~!" The high-pitched voice rang. "Ready to take your test today~?" Luffy sunk onto his desk even more and let out a sigh.

"I can't wait till Shanks gets back…"

_Later after School  
><em>_6:48pm_

Luffy groaned as he took a seat on the steps of his university, pulling out cellphone and dialing Ace's number. The phone rang for awhile before someone finally answered it. "Hello?"

_"Hello? Hello, Lu? You there?"_

"Yeah, I'm here!" Luffy had to shout over the phone. Apparently Ace's job today was either carpenter, construction working, or demolishing because of the loud noises in the background.

_"Oh, so what's up? You at a friend's house?"_

"N-No, everyone was busy. I'm still at the university."

_"What? Sigh… Okay, stay there. I'll pick you up after I'm done." _Luffy looked around.

"So I should just stay here?" Luffy asked, a little skeptical about the idea. He wasn't scared or anything, he could take care of himself. He just didn't want a repeat of _that_ day.

_"Well, yeah. I can't get off early, Lu. I'm sorry."_

"Well maybe you should work late nights," Luffy mumbled quietly. And apparently Ace caught those words.

_"Well maybe you should get a JOB, Luffy. I mean, I can't keep paying for everything myself!"_

"Well I've tried to get a job but no one wants to hire a _screwup_ like me!" Luffy yelled back into the phone. "All I was _implying_ was that you let someone else work the late night shift!"

_"Luffy! The late night work shift pays the most and we need that money to pay the rent and buy food!" _Ace shouted angrily over the phone. _"God, why do you always make things so complex!"_

"Well maybe if Sabo was still here, you wouldn't have to put up with me!"

_"You know what, fuck you Luffy!" _And Ace hung up. Enraged, Luffy slammed his phone shut and lifted it up as if he was gonna throw it, but stopped and brought his hands to his head. He shouldn't have said that, it was a low blow. Especially to Ace. He put his phone back in his pocket and sighed. He stood up and looked around the dark streets surrounding him. He lived four miles from here. It was only four miles, nothing to worry about. Just four miles of darkness with creepers, rapists, druggies, and murderers lying in wait. Luffy shook his head.

"No, no. Everything will be fine. Just walk quickly, stay alert, and be ready to fight or run. Nothing to worry about," Luffy tried to convince himself. "If I walk home, Ace won't have to pick me up and maybe he won't see me as a bother tonight. He'll be proud I walked home alone at night."

_'No he won't. In fact, he'll probably murder you if you do this. That was his number one rule, right? Don't walk home alone at night. Number one rule, and you're breaking it._' Luffy thought, and stopped. Should he stay here? Should he walk home? Luffy sighed, he really didn't want to anger Ace anymore, so he decided to stay at the university. He turned back and sat back down on the stairs and suddenly, it began to rain.

_'How could this day get any worse…'_

**xxx  
><strong>**So there, that's the first chapter. Hope you kinda liked it? Everything starts in the next chapter, so please stay tuned? And yes, I actually put Sabo in this. In truth, when I first heard Ace and Luffy had another brother, I didn't like the idea at all. I liked the whole 'Ace and Luffy' idea. But, I guess Sabo did play a part in their childhood, so I decided to actually include him in a story… So, yeah…**

_The cold ice I liveth and inside the darkness I love  
><em>_~roo the vampire_


	2. Chapter 2: Disappearance

Hell  
>Chapter Two: Disappearance<p>

_xxx  
><em>_Later that Night  
><em>_12:01_

Ace wiped the sweat from his forehead and threw down his shovel. Marco, one of his good friends, glanced his way before putting down his own shovel. He noticed Ace had been rather pissed and quiet for the past five hours and was starting to get a bit worried. "You alright?"

"Just peachy," he replied bitterly, throwing his gloves down and reaching for his bag.

"Look, if you need someone to cover your late shift, just let us know. We know what you're going through." Ace nodded.

"Yeah," was all he said before walking off. "See ya tomorrow." Marco shook his head and grabbed his shovel again.

"That kid's gonna end up working himself to death."

Ace walked in the direction of the university quickly, still upset about Luffy's earlier comment. It was uncalled for, and Luffy knew that. "He didn't mean it," he told himself quietly. "We all say things we don't mean to when we're angry." The university came in sight and Ace gave a sigh. "Hope he's still not too mad… I ought to apologize to him. And when will this damn rain let up?" He looked to the gray sky before coming to the university stairs, only to see them empty. "Luffy? Oi, where are you?" He listened but received no reply. He pulled out his phone and dialed Luffy's number. He stood in the pouring rain until he heard his brother's phone ring. He looked on the ground near his him and in a puddle of rainwater was Luffy's phone. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. "Shit, I hope he's okay." He took off running towards his house, panic rising inside him. "That idiot better not have tried walking home by himself." Two miles left. Ace seemed to push himself to run even faster and soon he found himself at his front door. He nearly broke the door down as he slammed it open, throwing his bag on the ground. "Luffy! Luffy, are you home!" Nothing. No answer, no snores, no munching on snacks. Nothing. He ran upstairs to the bedrooms and threw open the doors. "Lu?" He checked the bathroom and work room. "You here?" He checked the living room, kitchen and storeroom. "Luffy! Please, answer me!" He checked the empty backyard. Nothing. Fear and panic were steadily rising and Ace thought he might hyperventilate. "B-Breathe, Ace. Just… just breathe. That's it, slowly." He pulled out his phone and called Marco.

_"Hello?"_

"Marco! Did Luffy show up at all when I left?"

_"No, he didn't. Wait, let me ask the others." _Ace could hear Marco ask around in the background and at one point even heard Whitebeard's voice. _"Sorry, Ace. No one saw him. Why, is he missing?"_

"Yeah! What should I do? Should I file a missing persons report? Should I wait to see if he comes home? He left his phone at the university, maybe someone kidnapped him? What do I–" Suddenly, he noticed a letter sitting on the kitchen table. "I gotta go." He hung up the phone and set it down on he couch. There wasn't any mail there when they left. Maybe Luffy did come home? He turned on the kitchen lamp and slowly picked up the letter. He looked at the envelope. All it said was: _Addressed to Mr. Portgas D. Ace, elder brother of Monkey D. Luffy._ He opened it and pulled out the letter.

_From day one, without you knowing it, I loved you with all my heart.  
><em>_As I grew older I looked up to you and to no other.  
><em>_Yes, we fought many of times but you supported,  
><em>_and encouraged me in everything I did.  
><em>_You were my best friend and my hero.  
><em>_At night I miss the sound of your music,  
><em>_I miss you climbing through the window when you were late.  
><em>_I miss our nonsense arguments and all our wrestling matches just to pass the time.  
><em>_I like to remember our times together, good times and the bad.  
><em>_I regret the times I yelled at you when you were only trying to help,  
><em>_but you know I only did it because you did it to me.  
><em>_I wanted to do everything you did, because I wanted to be JUST like you!  
><em>_I miss your smile, and I miss the way our room smelt of your cologne.  
><em>_But most of all I miss your reassuring hugs and playful kisses.  
><em>_I wish I could go back and tell you how I felt, tell you that I really need you no matter what I said.  
><em>_I kept your favorite shirt and wear it overtime I miss you, like I did when I was little.  
><em>_I will always love you no matter how long it's been, since the day your life came to an end.  
><em>_I miss my big brother._

_x - x - x_

_I miss you, my sweet little brother.  
><em>_Where did you go?  
><em>_Far away above the sky…  
><em>_into the heaven beyond our reach,  
><em>_became so dear to the almighty,  
><em>_left all us gloomy.  
><em>_His silent smile used to light up our day,  
><em>_his quiet words showed a lot of dreams in our lives.  
><em>_I wonder if I can go back to get a glimpse of him  
><em>_or else if I could discover a time machine  
><em>_which would help me to go back  
><em>_to that wonderful time I had with him,  
><em>_still spanking in my thoughts.  
><em>_Always behind me like a shadow for  
><em>_20yrs- 240 months- 7300days-  
><em>_175200hrs- 10512000 mins- 630720000 secs.  
><em>_Our relation was like rain and thunder,  
><em>_quarreling, fighting constantly but still inseparable,  
><em>_couldn't able to stay without each other.  
><em>_Never ever thought I would see a single day without him.  
><em>_It's been 31 months 7 days he acquired divinity.  
><em>_He became so close to the deity.  
><em>_He is far away but so close,  
><em>_guiding me in each step of my life.  
><em>_Though he is not with me physically  
><em>_I can sense his presence always._

Ace furrowed his brows and threw the letter down. "What the hell is this? Some kind of fucking prank?" He emptied the rest of the contents of the envelop and a disposable phone fell out. He picked it up and it buzzed, notifying that there was a text message. Ace checked it to see what it read.

_Hello, Ace. You don't know me very well, but I know everything about you. Now, if you wish to ever see your brother alive again, you will NOT notify the police about this. You are responsible for the people you tell about this. You will receive a call at seven. If you do not answer it, your brother dies. You should rest, you WILL need the strength. Sleep well._

"Fucking kidding me?" Ace growled, slamming the phone on the table and clutched his head. "Luffy…" _"You know what, fuck you Luffy!"_ The words seemed to echo in his head. Those were the last words his brother heard from him. What if he dies? What if you dies thinking Ace hated him? Ace gave a small sob. He already lost one brother, the thought of losing another just ripped him apart. "No, I won't lose him. Not Luffy." He checked the clock. 1:00. He had six hours to sleep. He set his alarm on his phone and rested his head on the table. He wasn't going to let his brother die. No way in hell.

_Ace ran through the streets as it rained, a metal pipe in his hand and a bandaid on his forehead. His orange tank-top was soaked, as was his black shorts. He splashed in a puddle as he stood in the street. "Oi, Sabo! Come on, hurry up!" Said boy came running from between the buildings. He wore his usual hat with his coat and gave a grin, his hand tightening around the metal pole in his hand. "You ready to lose today?"_

_"You're gonna be the one losing!" They began to playfully fight in the street, ignorant to the rain or the fact that their clothes were soaked. Sabo swung to right and Ace dodged, coming up with a sneaky uppercut. Sabo fell to the ground as Ace stood above him victoriously._

_"I told you, you and Luffy will never win against me!" Sabo rolled his eyes and got up, wiping off gravel from his clothes._

_"Too bad Luffy couldn't come today, I think he would have beat you. He's gotten better." Ace grinned and took off running._

_"Bet you can't catch me!" The two ran through the city, going between buildings and through parks and construction sites. Finally, when Sabo was finally catching up, Ace ran between two buildings and ran into the street, spotting a car heading towards him. He jumped out of the way and turned around, seeing Sabo grinning and about to exit the ally and run into the street. Ace's eyes widened. The car wasn't slowing down. He reached his hand out towards Sabo. "No, stop! Sabo!"_

Ace sat up quickly as his alarm went off, out of breath and sweating. His heart pounded and he could feel his eyes water a bit before he blinked the tears away. "Shit…" He ran a hand through his hair and checked the time. Two more minutes and he would get the call. He tapped his hand on the table, wanting the time to pass by more quickly. Finally it, the phone buzzed, and received a text instead of a call.

_Go to GL Storage and go to storage #183. Once you have what's inside, go back to your house and await for further instructions._

Wasting no time, he left the house and got on his bike. If he hurried, he'd get to GL Storage in half an hour. He cycled through the rain and through the near empty city. He dodged the few people on he sidewalk and skidded to stop finally. He entered the building, not caring if he was dripping rain onto the polished floor. "Locker 183, 183, 1… 8… 3… Here it is." He noticed there was no lock on it and opened it, spotting a small wooden box in it. He opened it and his eyes widened. Inside was a 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Ace quickly put the cover back on the box and looked at the ground. _'Holy shit. This guy's serious, it isn't a prank.'_ He looked back at the box before a look of determination came over. "If it's to protect Luffy, I'll do whatever he wants." He took the gun and set it in the back of his pants. (You know, how EVERY guy carries a gun -.-) His phone rang and he answered it immediately. "Hello?"

_"Ace, how's my darling grandson doing?" _Great. It was Garp. The last thing Ace needed right now was his crazy grandfather involved with this.

"Uh, good. Good. We've been really busy with school this past week. I don't know if we'll have time to see you."

_"Oh, that's okay. I'll just come over next month. It makes me proud hearing you're both doing so good at school. You two will make fine marines."_

"We're not becoming marines!" Ace shouted in the phone.

_"Yes you are!" _Garp shouted back and Ace rolled his eyes.

"Look, I gotta go. Talk to you later, Gramps." Ace hung up and went back to his back. Huh, even that little phone call made him relax a little. He cycled back home and waited there for his instructions.

_At the Police Station  
><em>_1:46pm_

Smoker leaned against his chair smoking his cigar, listening to the other officers do their job. He noticed one of his assistants walk towards him with a few papers in her hand. Great, paper work. How exciting. Tashigi pushed her glasses up and set the papers onto his desk. "Captain, these are some complaints we've gotten about some of the officers and how they're harassing some people for no obvious reason. And this one is–" Smoker looked passed Tashigi and noticed one of Whitebeard's men enter the room.

"Excuse me, Tashigi." Smoker got up from his chair and approached the man. It was Marco, one of Whitebeard's most loyal men, and not to mention also strongest. It was a surprise to him here, it wasn't often they entered the police station. Unless something big was happening. Smoker stopped in front of the man. "Marco, what business do you have here?"

"I was just checking to see if Ace stopped by at all." Smoker's eye twitched. Ace had been Whitebeard's most mischievous man, causing trouble almost constantly. And it seemed, to Smoker, that everywhere he moved, Ace and his brother followed. This was already the fifth location Smoker moved to, and they followed. Ace was famous for his eat-and-runs, causing Smoker a lot of trouble. And yet, every time he thought he caught Ace, the damn bastard always seemed to slip by him.

"Why would he stop by here? He in trouble or something?"

"Well, yesterday after he left work, he called and said he couldn't find his brother anywhere. He started to panic and mentioned coming here to file a missing person's report, but he suddenly hung up." Smoker's eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, he didn't stop by. No one's filed a missing person's report for three weeks now." Marco nodded.

"Then I'll be on my way." And as Marco left, Smoker stood there in thought. If Luffy had indeed gone missing, he knew damn well Ace would have run his ass over here to file a missing person report. So why didn't he? Something wasn't right, he could feel it. He turned around and spotted Tashigi.

"Tashigi." Said person turned around and faced her Captain. "Come on, we're going for a ride."

**xxx  
><strong>**Okay, first of all, I do not own the poems mentioned. And yes, I should have warned Ace was ooc. sorry. Just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews. Sorry if this chapter isn't the best, been a little distracted lately. (Oh! And I finally got myself an Ace hat! *squees like a fangirl while hugging it* So please, I hope you like it! Review and tell me where you think this will be heading. :]**


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